Trim paneling with miterless corner joints and related methods

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a paneling system including a first and a second span element each possessing a substantially non-rectangular lateral cross-section and at least one butt end having a surface substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the span element. The paneling system also includes a transition element having a first end defining a first coping profile, the first coping profile being mateable to the butt end of a first span element at substantially a right angle, and a second end defining a second coping profile, the second coping profile being mateable to the butt end of a second span element at substantially a right angle. Also disclosed is a method of installing a paneling system that includes arranging transition and span elements to mate and form miterless corners.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to paneling, and, more particularly, to asystem and method of installing trim paneling with corner joints formedwithout miter cuts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Generally, paneling systems employ sequentially joined individualpaneling elements, which may be used in conjunction with a surface, orare freestanding. For example, casing around a doorjamb includes anumber of paneling elements that cover an underlying wall surface. Asanother example, decorative barriers, e.g. surrounding flowerbeds,typically consist of freestanding panel elements. Further, panelingsystems may be employed in a functional manner or as decorative accents.

Decorative panel elements having complex non-rectangular profiles anddesigned to cover a surface are often referred to as molding panels orsimply moldings. Examples of molding panels include crown molding, basemolding, chair molding, and cove molding. Moldings are often employed tovisually soften edges and to mask imperfections. For instance, a commonuse of moldings entails disposing them at a base of a wall thatintersects a carpeted floor, such that the edge of carpet adjoining thewall is concealed and the intersection of the floor and the wall isvisually softened. As another example, stone or ceramic tiles are apopular medium for surfacing or resurfacing generally flat surfaces onboth the interior and exterior of buildings. In order to achieve avisually pleasing appearance after tile installation, it is oftendesirable to cover imperfections and gaps that are sometimes presentwhen two or more surfaces meet at a boundary by employing moldings.

Both do-it-yourselfers and professional installers often facedifficulties when installing paneling elements around edges, boundaries,corners and joints, because the elements preferably have to beconfigured to fit snugly in place while forming corners. Variousconfiguring techniques commonly entail cutting paneling elements.

Various methods exist for configuring paneling elements in and aroundcorners. One known method for forming corners includes making a beveledor mitered cut in the end portions of each of two paneling elements thatare to be joined to form a corner, with these two miter cuts formingcomplements of an approximately right angle. An abutment betweenelements occurs along the plane of the cut. Referring to FIG. 1A, inorder to form a mitered corner joint, miter cuts are made in endportions of paneling elements 102, 104 resulting in mitered planes 106,108, respectively. Then, elements 102, 104 are joined together bypositioning a first mitered plane 106 in contact with a second miteredplane 108 to form approximately a right angle. Typically, each elementis cut to about 45° and joined together. This configuration is the mostcommon using this technique because the length along which the twoelements abut, i.e., the face of the cut, is substantially the same,which simplifies the installation. A drawback to this approach is thatan angled cut must be made in each of the paneling elements 102, 104 bythe end user, and the probability of chipping, cracking, or breakingincreases because the paneling material is thin near the intersection ofthe mitered planes 106,108 and the outside surface of the panelingelement.

In another known technique, in order to form a corner joint, an endportion of only one of two paneling elements that are to be joined isconfigured to mate with the other element without customizing that otherelement. Referring to FIGS. 1B-1C, an end portion 122 of a firstpaneling element 120 is configured to form an inside corner joint with asecond paneling element 130 by forming a coping profile 126 in the endportion of the first paneling element shaped to mate with a surface 134of the second paneling element 130. As skilled artisans wouldappreciate, the profile is typically formed by first mitering the endportion with an inside 45°-angle cut. A small saw is then used to removethe cut face from the end portion of the element 120 by using the sawblade to trace the profile of an outside surface 124 of the element 120across the end portion. Because the contour of the surface 124 isidentical to the contour of the surface 134, the profile 126 is shapedto snugly mate with the surface 134 forming a corner joint withoutaltering an end portion 132 of the paneling element 130 in any way.Thusly, formed corner joints are often referred to as coping joints.

Yet another category of known techniques for forming corners in apaneling system employs prefabricated corner-turning elements, therebyeliminating the need for mitered cuts or coping profiles. Butt ends ofthe corner-turning element are configured to match the lateralcross-sectional profiles of the abutting paneling elements. Thisapproach, however, affords limited flexibility to the installer ofmolding panels because it relies on walls of a building intersecting atexactly a right angle for a snug fit. Even slight deviation from theright angle between the adjoining walls, for example, due to surfaceimperfections or construction defects, results in flawed fit and poorvisual appearance of a corner joint. In addition, many examples of thisdesign require three separate elements to form a corner (see, e.g., U.S.Pat. No. 5,802,790).

As shown above, some of known methods of forming corner joints in apaneling system require the end user to configure the mass-producedpaneling elements prior to installation. Techniques that exist to cutthe paneling elements, however, require specialized equipment and oftenrisk cracking or otherwise damaging the elements, particularly ifmanufactured from brittle materials, such as ceramic. Further,pre-installation adjustments to achieve proper fit are often prone tohuman errors and associated waste. For these reasons, it is desirable tosimplify pre-installation adjustments and minimize the number of angledor profile cuts made in the paneling elements. On the other hand, it isalso desirable to avoid excessive customization of the paneling systemsby mass manufacturers to allow for certain degree of flexibility duringinstallation and reduce manufacturing costs.

Hence, there exists a need in the art for a cost-effective panelingsystem that is easy to install with limited amount of customization ofpaneling elements, as compared to paneling systems known in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a paneling setemploying two types of paneling elements, span elements, and at leastone transition element. A key feature of the invention involves thetransition element having two prefabricated coping profiles configuredto mate with a span element at each end of the transition element, i.e.a single prefabricated transition element can be used to form twocorners. Depending upon the configuration of the prefabricated copingprofile, outside or inside corners, or inside turns may be formedbetween the transition element and the adjoining span element withoutany customization of the ends of the paneling elements by the installer.

During installation, if necessary, the transition element can be cutbetween the coping profiles to effectively alter its length.Specifically, the distance between two coping profiles can be increasedby making a cut between the coping profiles and positioning one or morespan elements between the disjoined portions containing coping profiles.Conversely, the distance between two coping profiles can be reduced bymaking two parallel cuts in the transition element, removing a middleportion, and joining the portions containing coping profiles. Thus, theinvention provides the user with the ability to customize the dimensionsof the paneling system. As mentioned above, however, no customization isnecessary in order to form corner joints themselves.

Among other benefits, various embodiments of the paneling system of theinvention are easy to install with only limited amount of customizationby the end user, while at the same time being easy to manufacture bylimiting the number of different prefabricated elements in the panelingset.

While being directed to paneling systems in general, in variousembodiments, the paneling system may be employed in conjunction with aplurality of orthogonally-joined planar elements, such as walls of abuilding. Specifically, the paneling elements of the invention may beused as moldings closely fitting over adjoining walls or around adesired perimeter on a wall.

Generally, in one aspect, the invention features a paneling setincluding first and second span elements each comprising a substantiallynon-rectangular lateral cross-section and at least one butt end having asurface substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the spanelement. The invention further features a transition element including afirst end defining a first coping profile, the first end of thetransition element being mateable to the first span element along atleast the first coping profile at substantially a right angle, and asecond end defining a second coping profile, mating of the second end ofthe transition element to the second span element along the secondcoping profile occurring at substantially a right angle. In someembodiments of this aspect of the invention, at least one of the firstand second coping profiles is shaped and dimensioned to match a lateralcross-section of the respective span element. In other embodiments, atleast one of the first and second coping profiles is shaped anddimensioned to complement a profile of a surface of the respective spanelement. In a particular embodiment, at least one of the span elementsmates with the respective end of the transition element to form apaneling assembly having at least one coping joint, the assembly closelyfitting over a surface of a structure comprising at least twoorthogonally-joined planar elements, such as, for example, adjoiningwalls of a building.

In general, in another aspect, the invention is directed to a transitionelement for a paneling set, the transition element having a first enddefining a first coping profile; and a second end defining a secondcoping profile, the coping profiles facilitating formation of a copingjoint between the transition element and adjoining span elements of thepaneling set, each span element having a substantially non-rectangularlateral cross-section. At least one of the first and second copingprofiles may be shaped and dimensioned to either match the cross-sectionof the respective adjoining element of the paneling set, or tocomplement a profile of a surface of the respective adjoining element ofthe paneling set.

In yet another aspect, the invention is directed to a method forinstalling paneling that includes providing a transition element havingfirst and second ends; providing first and second span elements eachcomprising a substantially non-rectangular lateral cross-section and atleast one butt end having a surface substantially parallel to thecross-section; mating the first end of the transition element with thefirst span element at substantially a right angle to form a first copingjoint there between; and mating the second end of the transition elementwith the second span element at substantially a right angle to form asecond coping joint there between. In various embodiments, the methodalso includes the step of altering the length of the transition element,for example, in some embodiments, by laterally severing the transitionelement into at least a first portion and a second portion, the firstportion including the first end and the second portion including thesecond end; and inserting at least one extension element between thefirst portion and the second portion, or, in other embodiments, bylaterally severing the transition element into at least first, second,and third portions, the first portion including the first end and thesecond portion having the second end, removing the third portion; andlinearly abutting the first portion and the second portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings are not necessarily to scale; instead, the drawingsgenerally place emphasis on illustrative principles of the invention.The advantages of the invention can be better understood by reference tothe description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A depicts a corner joint formed using miter cuts according tomethods known in the art.

FIG. 1B-1D depicts a coping joint formed according to methods known inthe art, with FIG. 1B depicting a paneling element having a copingprofile at one end and FIGS. 1C-1D depicting formation of a corner jointusing the paneling element shown in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 2A depicts a transition element having a coping profile for formingoutside corners at each end, according to various embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 2B depicts an embodiment of the transition element of FIG. 2A inwhich a span element is mated to an end of the transition element at asubstantially right angle.

FIG. 2C depicts a transition element having a coping profile for forminginside corners at each end, according to various embodiments of theinvention.

FIGS. 3A-3B depict a transition element forming inside corner turns andconfigured to mate with adjoining span elements, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4A-4B depict different ways of effectively altering the distancebetween the profiled ends of the transition element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As mentioned above, various embodiments of the invention feature apaneling set that includes a transition element having two prefabricatedcoping profiles configured to mate with a span element at each end ofthe transition element, i.e. a single prefabricated transition elementcan be used to form two corners.

Referring to FIGS. 2A-2B, in one embodiment of the invention, a panelingset 200 includes a transition element 202 and span elements 204 and 206,whereby the transition element 202 is positioned to form a first cornerwith a first span element 204 and a second corner with a second spanelement 206. The elements of the paneling set have a rear face 214 and afront face 212. In various embodiments of the invention, the front faces212 of both the span elements 204, 206 and the transition element 202are designed to be substantially non-planar and decorative, whereas therear faces are substantially planar, i.e. having a non-rectangularlateral cross-section.

Generally, configuration of the transition element 202, i.e. the shapeof prefabricated coping profiles 208 and 210 disposed at each end of thetransition element, determines whether the particular corner formed isan inside corner or an outside corner. Similarly, configuration of thespan elements 204, 206 with regards to the shape of the respective ends220, 222 of the span elements 204, 206 determines whether the particularcorner formed is an inside corner or an outside corner. The ends 220,222 of the span elements 204, 206 are oriented in such a fashion so thatan imaginary line representing the longitudinal axis of either of thespan elements 204, 206 would be substantially normal to the surfacedefined by the respective ends 220, 222. It follows that most jointsformed by the paneling set 200 of the present invention will defineninety-degree turns between the transition element 202 and the spanelements 204, 206.

In one embodiment, the transition element 202 and the span elements 204,206 combine to form inside corners, in which the decorative faces 212 ofthe transition element 202 and the span elements 204, 206 face inward.In another embodiment, the transition element 202 and the span elements204, 206 combine to form outside corners, in which the decorative face212 of the transition element 202 and the span elements 204, 206 faceoutward.

The paneling elements of the present invention can be manufactured froma variety of materials, including metal, wood, stone, ceramic, plastic,and composite materials according to methods known in the art. Invarious embodiments, the elements are manufactured by compression orinjection molding, with the molds being designed to reflect the desiredshape of the elements, including the decorative face and coping profilesof the transition element. In one particular embodiment, the transitionelement and span elements are manufactured from a ceramic material. Inanother embodiment, the paneling elements comprise composite materialincluding a plastic portion, such as, for example, polyester, and ametal portion defining the decorative surface, as disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 5,177,124, incorporated herein by reference. In other embodiments,the composite paneling set may include a plastic portion and a stoneportion, wherein the stone portion defines the decorative surfaces ofthe respective elements of the paneling set.

FIG. 2A depicts a view of the rear face 214 of the transition element202 designed to form outside corners, according to one embodiment of theinvention. The transition element includes a first end portion 207defining a first coping profile 208 and a second end portion 209defining a second coping profile 210. The configuration of the copingprofiles 208, 210 at the end portions 207, 209 enables the transitionelement 202 to mate with the span elements 204, 206 thereby formingoutside corners.

Specifically, referring now to FIG. 2B, each of the coping profiles ofthe transition element is shaped to match the contour of decorativefaces 216, 218 of the lateral cross-section of the respective spanelement, as projected onto its end 220, 222. Thus, each of the endportions 207, 209 of the transition element 202 is shaped tosubstantially match the ends 220, 222 of the adjacent span element 204,206 with the coping profiles 208, 210 substantially coinciding with thecontours of the decorative faces 216, 218. In order to form the outsidecorners, therefore, each of the ends 220, 222 of the span elements 204,206 contacts the transition element 202 on its rear face 214 against therespective end portion 207, 209 and along the coping profile 208, 210.

When span elements 204, 206 are mated with respective coping profiles208, 210 of the transition element 202, a corner joint is formed that issubstantially smooth. In a particular embodiment of the invention,elements of the paneling set 200 employing outside coping profiles 208,210 form a closed perimeter with the decorative faces 212, 216, 218 ofthe transition element 202 and span elements 204, 206 on the exterior ofthe perimeter.

In one embodiment of the invention, paneling elements are merelydisposed adjacent to each other to form a paneling set. In anotherembodiment, the paneling elements are fastened to other panelingelements. In still another embodiment, the paneling elements arefastened to generally flat planar elements, like the exterior surface ofa wall that has no walls adjacent to it or the exterior perimeter of afour-sided structure. In a particular embodiment, in which panelingelements contact a generally flat surface like a wall, the elements areconfigured to fit snugly against the surface and against other panelingelements.

Referring to FIG. 2C, in one embodiment of the invention, copingprofiles 208 and, 210 of the transition element 202 are designed to forminside corners with the span elements, wherein the decorative faces 212,216, 218 of the transition element 202 and the span elements 204, 206face inwards. In this embodiment, the coping profiles 208 and 210comprise contoured edges of the transition element 202 that are shapedto mate with a contour of the decorative faces 216, 218 of therespective span element 204, 206 at a right angle. In a particularembodiment of the invention, elements of a paneling set 200 employinginside coping profiles form a closed perimeter with the decorative faces212, 216, 218 of the transition element 202 and span elements 204, 206on the interior of the perimeter. For example, a transition element 202with inside coping profiles 208, 210 and span elements 204, 206 could beused as base molding for the perimeter of a wall at its juncture with afloor.

FIGS. 3A-3B depict another embodiment of the paneling set 300 of thepresent invention wherein a transition element 302 forms inside cornerjoints, referred to herein as inside turns, with adjacent span elements304 and 306. In a preferred embodiment, the inside turns formed by thepaneling set 300 encompass at least one substantially right angle.

A pair of end portions 307 and 309 of the transition element 302 hascoping profiles 308, 310 that are shaped and oriented to substantiallycoincide with the contour of the ends 320, 322 of the span elements 304,306 in a desired perimeter configuration. In various versions of thisembodiment, contours of the coping profiles 308, 310 lie in a plane thatis coplanar with the inward-oriented face of the transition element 302and perpendicular to the orientation of at least one of the spanelements 304, 306, as shown in FIG. 3A-3B. Paneling sets 300 havinginside turn coping profiles according to this embodiment of theinvention may be positioned as either an interior or an exteriorperimeter. Examples of an interior perimeter include chair moldingaround the perimeter of an enclosed room. One of the examples of anexterior perimeter is casing around a window opening or a piece ofartwork.

In a particular version of this embodiment of the invention shown inFIG. 3B, the transition element 302 is configured such that a decorativeface 312 of the transition element 302 contains ninety-degree turnsdisposed in the end portions 307, 308. Coping profiles 308, 310 areshaped and oriented to substantially coincide with the contour of theends 320, 322 of the span elements 304, 306, respectively forming cornerjoints therewith at substantially right angles. The coping profiles 308,310 are coplanar with an inside face 314 of the transition element 302and coplanar with the ends 320, 322 of the span elements 304, 306. Thus,the coping profiles 308, 310 provide contact area for the span elements304, 306 to form a corner with the transition element without requiringthe transition element 302 itself to turn a corner and thus becomeL-shaped.

This aspect of the present invention obviates the need for a complicatedand expensive manufacturing process for making the transition element302. That is, the transition element 302 can be manufactured into asubstantially linear element and still be coupled to a pair of spanelements 304, 306, which is a vast improvement over attempts tomanufacture a substantially U-shaped transition element for the samepurpose.

In various embodiments of the invention, an installer may customizepaneling elements to fit the area to be paneled by altering the distancebetween coping profiles of the transition element, while still using asingle transition element and at least two span elements to form twocorner joints. An installer may customize paneling installation eitherby cutting the transition element once and inserting at least one spanelement between the two disjoined ends, each with a coping profile,thereby increasing the distance between coping profiles. Anothertechnique is to remove a middle portion of a transition element andjoining the coping profiles thereby reducing the distance between copingprofiles.

FIG. 4A depicts an exploded view of a transition element 400 dividedinto a first transition portion 402 and a second transition portion 404that allows longitudinal expansion between the profiled ends of thetransition element 400. Employing this technique, an installer makes alateral cut in the transition element and then a span element 406 isplaced between the disjoined transition portions 402 and 404. Thistechnique is not limited to a single span element, and more than onespan element 406 may be disposed between the disjoined transitionportions 402 and 404, as necessary.

FIG. 4B depicts a view of a customized transition element 400 that isshorter than an originally provided transition element 400. An installerusing this technique decreases the distance between disjoined ends 410and 412 of a transition element 400 by removing a portion 414 of thetransition element 400 from there between. Typically, the removed piece414 having desired length is produced by laterally cutting thetransition element 400 twice.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rear faces ofa transition element and a plurality of span elements may besubstantially flat to engage a substantially planar surface such as aninterior or exterior wall of a building in the case of, for example, amolding set. In one embodiment, in which the panel elements arefreestanding, the rear faces of a transition element and a plurality ofspan elements do not contact a generally flat planar element.

In embodiments in which panel elements contact a generally flat planarelement, the paneling elements may be affixed to the planar element orto each other using attachment means including but not limited toadhesives (glue, cement, grout, etc.), driven-force joint means (nails,screws, brads, tacks, pins, staples, etc.), or support means (brackets,braces, holders, etc.).

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to specific illustrative embodiments, it should be understoodthat those skilled in the art can envision various modifications tothose embodiments described above without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A paneling set comprising: a first span element defining alongitudinal axis and a substantially non-rectangular lateral crosssection, the first span element comprising a first end defining asurface such that the longitudinal axis is substantially normal to thesurface of the first end; a second span element defining a longitudinalaxis and a substantially non-rectangular lateral cross-section, thesecond span element comprising a second end defining a surface such thatthe longitudinal axis is substantially normal to the surface of thesecond end; and a transition element comprising: a first end defining afirst coping profile, the first end of the transition element beingmateable to the first span element along at least the first copingprofile at substantially a right angle; and a second end defining asecond coping profile, mating of the second end of the transitionelement to the second span element along the second coping profileoccurring at substantially a right angle.
 2. The paneling set of claim 1wherein at least one of the first and second coping profiles is shapedand dimensioned to complement the substantially non-rectangular lateralcross-sections of the first and second span elements.
 3. The panelingset of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second copingprofiles is shaped and dimensioned to complement the surfaces defined bythe first and second ends of the first and second span elements.
 4. Thepaneling set of claim 1 wherein at least one of the span elements mateswith the respective end of the transition element to form a panelingassembly having at least one coping joint, the assembly closely fittingover a surface of a structure comprising at least twoorthogonally-joined planar elements.
 5. The paneling set of claim 4,wherein the planar elements comprise adjoining walls of a building. 6.The paneling set of claim 1 wherein the transition element comprises adecorative surface.
 7. The paneling set of claim 1 wherein the first andsecond span elements comprise a decorative surface.
 8. The paneling setof claim 1 wherein the surfaces defined by the first and second ends ofthe first and second span elements are substantially planar.
 9. Thepaneling set of claim 1 wherein the paneling set is one of metal, wood,stone, ceramic, plastic, or a composite material.
 10. The paneling setof claim 1 wherein the paneling set comprises a composite material. 11.The paneling set of claim 10 wherein the composite material comprises apolyester portion and a metal portion, the metal portion defining thedecorative surfaces of the paneling set.
 12. The paneling set of claim10 wherein the composite material comprises a polyester portion and astone portion, the stone portion defining the decorative surfaces of thepaneling set.
 13. A transition element for a paneling set, thetransition element comprising: a first end defining a first copingprofile; and a second end defining a second coping profile; wherein thefirst and second coping profiles are configured for the formation of acoping joint between the transition element and at least one spanelement, the at least one span element defining a longitudinal axis anda substantially non-rectangular lateral cross-section, the at least onespan element comprising an end defining a surface such that thelongitudinal axis is substantially normal to the surface of the end. 14.The transition element of claim 13, wherein at least one of the firstand second coping profiles is shaped and dimensioned to match thesubstantially non-rectangular lateral cross-section of the at least onespan element.
 15. The transition element of claim 13, wherein at leastone of the first and second coping profiles is shaped and dimensioned tocomplement a profile of the surface defined by the at least one spanelement.
 16. The transition element of claim 13 wherein the transitionelement comprises a decorative surface.
 17. The transition element ofclaim 13 wherein the at least one span element comprises a decorativesurface.
 18. The transition element of claim 13 wherein the transitionelement is configured for forming an inside corner with the at least onespan element.
 19. The transition element of claim 13 wherein thetransition element is configured for forming an outside corner with theat least one span element.